Poll: Candidates must invest in energy

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. voters want their next president to invest in new energy sources and wouldn't punish a candidate who advocates conservation, a USA Today poll indicated.

The poll found broad support for many proposals advanced by likely Democratic Party nominee Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and his presumptive Republican Party ,challenger Sen. John McCain R-Ariz., a USA Today-Gallup Poll indicated Friday. Only 21 percent said neither candidate would do a good job.

Energy and gas prices head the list of concerns voters said they consider when choosing a candidate, the newspaper said.

Two ideas Obama has floated show nearly the same level of appeal -- raising fuel-mileage standards on cars and investing $150 billion in clean energy and biofuels. Obama's backing of a windfall profits tax to reduce oil companies' profit from high oil prices also was popular.

McCain's support for lifting restrictions on offshore drilling also garnered support.

The poll indicated about three in 10 respondents said they'd be more likely to vote for a candidate who said they'd have to change their energy habits.

The USA Today-Gallup poll of 1,007 adults was conducted Friday through Sunday. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.